Ignition magneto



Aug. 30,1927. v 1,640,936

w. w. HAwKlNs IGNITION MAGNETO Filed March 25,' 1922 2 shuts-sneer 2 Patented Aug. 30,1927;

UNITED STATES 1,640,936 P Afl-EN o-FFICE.

'WILLIAM W. IIAWKINS, QE'EROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AssIGNOR To WEBSTER ELECTRIC COMPANY, or RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OE WIscoNsIN.

IGNITION. MAGNETO.

' Application .filed March 2,5, 1922.- serialNo. 546,678.

This inventionV relates `to .magnetos and particularly to magnetos of vthe type which are l.used `as ignition'deiices in connection With internal explosion engines.

.5 The obj ect of the invention is the provision lofa magneto which Will consist of relatively lfew parts of .simple design and which will provide a spark of. great.intensity...y

. One :of the features .of theinvention yis the magnets, pole pieces, inductor.r element aand provision .of yan .inductor yelement on the -rotor Whichlwill operate to :alternately complete paths from.1the .opposite magnet pole pieces to the extensions vfor the core of the transformer, Another 'featureof` the inven- .15 tion .isftlie .provision of a stationary. coil mounted about the center 'of the transformer and .through which the flux in the Vindue.- tor extends. Another feature resides in the circuit arrangement .provided in connection with the primary oolof the transformer and .the generator coil by means of which the advantages of the mechanical construction .are utilized, v

. Further features and advantages will :appear .from time totime as the ydescription of the invention progresses.

Inthe drawings: f Figure lfshowsa vertical longitudinalsection through the device.; f.

igure 2 is a "sectionon the linej2-,-2 -of JEFignl';`

re Sais Va sectionon the line B-of Fig. l; f y

@Figuree .is 4a section substantially 'on the lineA-f of Figa, looking inthe :direction of the y:arrows yand showing the interrupter connectionsy for the magneto.l

l .Figuren is ia perspective yView showing `one,

of :thekend plates, a portion of one of the :exftensions .for thetransformer -core piece .and ythe magnet .pole pieces at nonexend-of the magneto;` and A l .v y Figure 16 is acircuit1diagram showing "the fre-lation of the coils :and the, interrnpter.rv

. Referring now to the drawings in` which .like reference ycharacters indicate similar vparts in the :several Views, l0., 11, 12, 18 `and 14. rep-resent permanent `magnets o f U shape.

and in :engagement with `magnets 1l andlll, respectively, While magnet 12 is mounted be- ;tW-een :and in engagementwith magnets 10 and 13. "'ifhemagnets k13 :and 14 are `provid- .ed with a pair of pole pieces 15 and I6 atthe oppositefends thereof, as indicated in Fig. `3.

Magnets 10 and 13 are amounted outside ofV These .pole pieces 15- and 16 are .formed fof laminations of magnetic Vmaterial in the usa,- al manner, and areof substantially thesame Widthas are the magnets i3 :and 14j-The opposite ends of the magnets l() and 11.=are

00 provided With similar pole pieces 17 and 18,: shown only in Vdotted lines in Fig. 2.

It is to be understood7 however., 'that the thecoils of the magneto are symmetrically arranged. Lat `opposite :ends of the magneto.

lSecured to the .magnets 10 and 13, re-V spectively, are the end plates 19 andf20. End plate19 is .provided With .a boss 21 have ing an* `annular recess .22 Within which" is 70 positioned the hall bearing 23 for thezsup porting pintle 24 at Ione `end 'of the rotor. The boss 2l is yalso :provided with an opening 25 through which Athe vpintle '24:` projects. The end. plate .2O is provided with za lboss 26, similar `to the boss 2l, Within which i'sthe ball bearino' 27 for the pintle'28 atfthe iopzpoysite end of the rotor. The boss 26 is also provided with an opening 29 through which projects acol'larBO mounted about 'the :pintle 28. The rotor comprises the inductor element 8l made up of strips or laminations'offmag- 'netic'material` Each of the .plates forming the inductor element Slhas its :opposite corners cut Yaway so 'that the inductor 3l is -substantally .Z `shape in form. Within the acutaway; portions of the inductor .and onthe opposite sides of the central portion .thereof is provided fa monn-tingof non-magaietic 'anaterial so that the Ventire rotor is substantially cylindrical in form. The pintles 2241and2'8 are ysecnre'd to the rotor yby "havingfscrewe threaded extensions 33 and 34, respectively,

received by openings in the oppositeenfds Vof 9u the non-magnetic material 32. Mounted in the space Within the :upper pjorltion ofthe magnets 10pt@ 14;, isa :transformer `comprising the Vcore 135, primary coil l36 and secondary coil'37.. The lcore 35 :is ao provided at the opposite ends thereof' with 'the'. extensions 38 and 39, Which Vterminate at the lower aends thereofin :annular .porftions and d-l, respectively, which encircle the rotor. .annular portions mand lll areformed of :laminations vof .magnetic material'.

, Mounted about the central portion of .the inductor 3l is. agenerator lcoil 42. iCoil y12 is arranged Within a1 housing 43 of non- 110 The extensions 38 `and 39-and the 1l05 provided a recess 45 within which is positioned the condenser 46. Arranged in en gagement with the boss 26, Yformed in the end plate 2Oa is an annulaihousing member 47 provided with an end cover piate 48. rlhe interrupter contacts are niounted on the housing 47, and as the housing 47 is merely frietionally mounted on the boss 26, it may be adjusted about the boss in a rotary cirection in order to determine the time ot operation of the interrupter. The housing 47 is provided at one side with a projecting lng or arm 49 to :tacilitate the rotary adjustment of the housing.

Insulatably mounted on the inner surface ot the housing 47, in any desired manner, is the lixed interruptor contact 50. Pivotally supported at 5l is the movable interrupter arm 52 provided at one end toereoi with the contact 53 and intermediate its ends with an insulating block adapted to be engaged by the oppositely disposed cam eiement 55 carried by the cam collar 56, which is non-rotatably secured to the free end ot' the pintle 28 by means ot the nut 57.

Extending through the cover plate 48 is a binding post 58 which is insulated 'lrom the plate 48 by means of the insulating collar 59. A springnger G0 is electrically connected to the stationary contact 50 of the interrupter and bears adjacent its tree endA on the inner end of the binding post 58. The conductor 6l, one end or" which is secured to the binding post by meansV of the nut 62, has its other end joined to the non-grounded end of the primary coil` 36. The conductor 63 has one end connected to the non-grounded end of the secondary coil l 37, and the other end extends to a spark plug orv the usual flyer of a distributor.

Extending outwardly from the end plate 20 is a post'64, to the outer end of which is secured a spring linger 65 arranged to engage the housing cover plate 4S and thus maintain the interrupter housing in posi.- tion.

The operation of the device is as follows: It will be noted that when the laminations of the inductor 3l extend substantially horizontally,` one end ot the inductor will be adjacent to a pole piece ot the magnets l0 and 11, while the other end oil the inductor will be adjacent to the opposite pole piece of the magnets I3 and 'Ihus 'flux will flow through the inductor element 3l about which is positioned the generator coil 42. As the inductor is rotated the magnetic lines will be cut, thus inducing current in the coil 42. In parallel with the path through the central portion ot the inductor element 3l is another path .trom the saine pole piece, which will extend from the pole piece through the adjacent end section oit the inductor to the collar 40 or 4l on the extensions for the core 35, thence through the core to the other collar 40 or 4l and to the opposed pole piece at the opposite corner ot the magneto. Thus, as the inductor is rotated, the change in the ilux iilowing tl'irough the core will tend to set up currents in the primary coil 36, and likewise in the secondary coil 37 ot the transformer. rlhe generator and primary coils are so wound, however, that these cnrrents set up in the primary coil 56y and the generator coil 42 will not interfere with each other, but will find a common return path to the grounded sides thereof through the interrupter contacts 50 and which are now closed. At approximately the instant that the inductor ends leave the pole pieces with which they have been in engagement, the interrupter contacts will be opened. Now the current flowing through the coils 42 and 36 can no longer find a commonreturn path through the interruptor contacts 50 and 53 and the current induced in one ot' these coils will, therefore, oppose that induced in the other. The surge of current existing in the coil 42 will operate to reverse the current llowing through the coil 36, thus setting up a high potential impulse in the secondary coil. This effect will also be augmented by the discharge from the condenser 46 which follows the opening of the interrupter contacts. Y

While in the drawings and above description a single set of details have been set forth, it is to be understood that certain modifications are contemplated by applicant and the invention, therefore, is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I consider as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l.. In a magneto, a permanent magnet having two pairs or separated pole pieces, there being one ot' each polarity in each pair, a rotor positioned between said pairs of pole pieces, a unitary inductor extending longitudinally oi said rotor having its opposite ends oillset, one of said oil'set ends being arranged to pass in proximity to two 'of said pole pieces ot opposite polarity, and

the other oll'set end being arranged to pass in proximity to the other two pole pieces, a primary and a secondary coil, a core for said coils having end projections adjacent said pole pieces and the path of said inductor, and a generator coil about said inductor element, said generator coil being connected in parallel with said primary coil. 2. In a magneto, a permanent magnet having tWo pairs of separated pole pieces,

there being one of each polarity in each pair, a rotor positioned between said pairs of pole pieces, a unitary inductor extending longitudinally of said rotor having its opposite ends oifset and arranged to complete paths from a pole piece ofone pair to a pole piece ot the other pair twice during each revolution of said rotor, a generator coil about said inductor element, a second coil, a core for said second coil7 xtensions for said core adjacent to the path of said inductor element, said o'lset ends of said inductor element being arranged to complete paths from said polel pieces to said extensions, a circuit extending iii parallel to the non-grounded terminals of said coils, and an interrupter in said circuit.

3. In a magneto, ay permanent magnet having two pairs oit separated pole pieces, there being one pair of each polarity, a rotor positioned between said pairs of pole pieces,

a unitary inductor extending longitudinally of said rotors and having its opposite ends offset, one of said offset ends beingY arranged to pass in proximity to two of said pole pieces ci opposite polarity and the other offset end being arranged to pass in proximity to the other two pole pieces, a generator coil about said inductor element, a second coil, a corefor. said second coil,A extensions Afor said core adjacent to the paths of said olfset ends and magnetically insulated from said pole pieces, said oifset ends being arranged to complete magnetic paths from said pole pieces to said core extensions, a circuit extending in parallel to the nongrounded terminals of said coils, and an interrupt-er in said circuit.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of March, 1922.

` WiLLiAM W. HAWKiNs. 

